The trip was awesome! It was a good balance of sightseeing and safari.
Our guides were amazing! They were knowledgable and entertaining. Our local guide was Craig and our US guide was Jason. Many probably know Jason from his European and China
ABD trips. Also, Jason will be doing a few of the June China trips (where he will be training his replacement) before returing to South Africa for the rest of the season.
There were 14 on our trip, 12 adults and 2 teens. This allowed everyone to really spread out in the coach. Everyone got on very well and we're currently sharing our pictures with each other.
The range of accomadations varied. The best, of course, was Kapama - where we did our safari. If you go, you need to get the calabash massage at their spa - something like the number 2 spa in the world. The Southern Sun in Cape Town was very nice and had the largest buffet breakfasts. Knysna was the next nicest - on the waterfront with beautiful views. But George was just so-so - an average motel room with other unruly guests partying outside our door until quite late.
I think the most enlightening thing about South Africa was not the animals (this was our second trip to the continent) but the apartheid history. We visited Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years) on our own and the District Six Museum with ABD. I also enjoyed the scenic hike through the Featherbed nature reserve.
Finally, having made a pit-stop in London on the way to South Africa, South Africa seemed relatively inexpensive. For example, dinner at a nice restaurant for two with wine was about $60 - a comparable dinner in London or at home would run over $100.
